Seventh son
by Darth Krande
Summary: AU. One rainy day, Kal Skirata returned from the training fields with a younger brother for the Nulls. His decision now makes all the difference. No OC.
1. Chapter 1

Warning: this is AU. The main character, however, is far from an OC.

**Seventh son**

**THE SITH LORD IS DOWN. REPEAT, THE SITH LORD IS DOWN. GENERAL WINDU APPEARS TO BE WOUNDED, DEGREE OF INJURY UNKNOWN. CANNOT CONFIRM SURVIVAL OF ANY OTHER JEDI IN THE AREA.**

**Thrice-coded anonymous message from Coruscant to Kashyyyk**

Fierfek, if they carry on like this, he will be stuck here in the foreseeable chaos. His adopted brothers should have left Coruscant on the day before, with their prize Ovolot Uthan, and with maybe whoever else Kal'Buir had collected on his way out from the Valorum Center. His father tended to pick up seemingly hopeless cases, his own survival was proof of that.

He looked into the binocular, and loaded yet another saberdart into the projectile, just to be on the safe side. Master Yoda had warned him that the Sith would always come in twos. But no, through the shards of the supreme chancellor's office window, he could only see an exhausted Mace Windu and a late-arrived Anakin Skywalker. Neither of them moved to assist any survivors.

An incoming call's warning appeared on his helmet's HUD.

"Master Yoda, I think it is safe to deduce that the other three Jedi did not make it" he reported, immediately.

"Save the Republic, you have."

"It was child's play. The Chancellor seemed to be unaware of my existence. I caught him off guard as soon as the windowpane was out."

Which wasn't a bad achievement for a kid, he had to admit. By his specie's standards, he was a kid still. His marksmanship didn't require him to be an adult. He was good with firearms ever since his brother A'den first showed him how to properly hold a riffle.

He trained hard, because initially almost everyone around him had questioned his worth. At first, the Kaminoans who considered him a regrettable defect because of his eyes, then the Cuy'val Dar who believed him to be a hut'uun. Both before he would have been able to crawl, swim, or form an intelligent word.

Truth be told, it was obvious that he would never be as strong or enduring as the Nulls, or even, as the clones Skirata had been training. But as Kom'rk had once poined out, who needs to be able to run fifty kilometers if he was able to hit the target from right where he was standing?

He retreated from the skyscraper's edge, and carefully secured the remaining saberdarts, his sole reminders of his origin, in his belt. He considered leaving his helmet on, but he decided against it. Under Kal Skirata's tutorage, he grew to be proud of who he was.

For three years, his clone brothers had been fighting for the Republic, so it was obvious for him to stay on their side, though not as a slave like them, but as a good gun to hire. And hire him, Master Yoda did. Because of his close bond to the GAR, he was considered the most trustworthy sniper at hand, but unlike the clones, no loyalty bound him to the Supreme Chancellor. If the army was of the one right man for the job, he was the person to complete their task in the sole area they could not reach.

As he walked through the building in full beskar'gam and with an elongated Mandalorian helmet under his arm, all eyes turned towards him. He didn't at all mind the stares, he got used to this type of attention and in fact he indulged in it.

A green-eyed Kaminoan. So?

* * *

AN: Yes, in the RC books he is the only character to whom Kal Skirata had ever turned a blind eye to... I decided to play with the what-if. Please let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

So, on Fanfic net I forgot to remove the "in progress" tag, and I only noticed when I already had three followers on this fic. Thank you for your faith in me, I hope you like your reward.

**Prequel to the storm**

"Come on, Scorch" I hiss into the microphone. "Blow that thing up already, you di'kut, and move on to the next obstacle. You CAN'T embarrass me when half of the Kaminoan quality control team is watching!"

These long-necks really know when their visit is least welcome. Not only that. This day didn't even start well, and then we had some delay with the armor, and now this squad of losers won't blow up a simulated enemy fortress that should not be a challenge for them at this stage.

"Boss! What takes your team so long?"

And of course one of Skirata's sons is watching us from above, because where else could a Null linger during quality check. Another shiny day on Kamino...

The real reason behind my bad mood is, however, Lord Mirdalan's behavior. Instead of him waking me in the morning like he always does, I had to go out and call his name until he bothered to show up. Then he grabbed the nerf-trotters I prepared for his breakfast, and disappeared from sight again.

"Come oooon, Delta!" Right next to me, Ko Sai is writing something to her notes. I very much hope it is something along the lines 'Never ever work with the sons of Mandalore again'.

After a few moments of static, Fixer advises me to switch to their helmet camera's view.

And fierfek, do I curse when I can see what they can.

"Get him out of there, immediately!" I snap, suddenly grateful that Scorch knew better than to blow up the building. What the hell is Mird doing inside?

"The situation is a lot more complex" Boss informs me, providing a new angle of vision.

He's at a loss of words, which is quite understandable, considering his... origins. In fact, I didn't even know that the Kaminoans are still able to reproduce the normal way. Or maybe they are not supposed to? Is that why that female is hiding in the middle of the training field, with her newborn in her fragile arms? As I take in the reactions of the pale Kaminoan elite, I get the feeling this lone kaminii had a good reason to run. If so, she might be a rare exception: a brave soul among these hut'uuns.

Why the aiwha-baits want to take her newborn is beyond me, but I have long since learned to trust Mird'ika, and if he won't let them near the baby, I won't either.

"Delta squad! Defensive position."

Orun Wa, barely a dagger's length away from me, shakes his head. He either thinks my own helmet doesn't have a built-in translator, or he outright doesn't care. "This is why I hate working with Mandos". I mutely assure him that the feeling is mutual.

Out there on the simulated battlefield, Delta squad takes up a new position. Good.

"Such heroism is absolutely pointless" Ko Sai tells me. "That youth was born with green eyes. There's no place for him in our society."

Aha, so this is their problem. The baby Kaminoan was born with a trait the long-necks didn't bargain for, and now they want to destroy the evidence of their lack of control. Demagol would be hot with shame, if he saw the hut'uuns outdo him.

"The kid will die, that's a fact" Orun Wa concurs. "Bad enough that its mother is acting up, trying to save it."

"Irritating" a third kaminii concurs. "She's just wasting everyone's time."

I look up at the ceiling, and grin under the buy'ce.

"I would bet my mother's flawlessly cut Shoroni sapphire that the child will live."

The word 'flawless' catches their attention. Ko Sai turns to me, and she wordlessly gestures at the large pearl embedded in a diadem on her forehead. She accepted the bet. Short-sighted di'kut!

I glimpse around with my visor, searching for a golden gleam of armor. Where is Kal Skirata the ONE time I'm counting on him? I really don't feel like travelling to Mygeeto just to pick up some of the family belongings. It's rather cold at this time of the year.

But Skirata doesn't disappoint. Although I still can't see him, I clearly hear his uneven footfalls.

"I really don't understand why you bother this much with such a small baby..." I tell the kaminiise. Their security personnel has surrounded the training field by now, but they are too coward to enter the building Delta professionally secured.

Inwardly I countdown to the burst of the worst storm Kamino has ever seen. Ehn... t'ad...

Perfect. Kal is not only bringing the five other Nulls, he also picked up three commando squads on his way. I have to admit, he knows how to make a point.

Ko Sai hands me her diadem before sounding the retreat.


End file.
